Rigid, hinged-lid packets of cigarettes are currently the most widely marketed, by being easy to produce, practical and easy to use, and by effectively protecting the cigarettes inside.
A rigid, hinged-lid packet of cigarettes comprises an inner package comprising a group of cigarettes wrapped in a sheet of foil; and a rigid outer package housing the inner package. The outer package is formed by folding a rigid blank about the inner package, and comprises a cup-shaped container having an open top end; and a cup-shaped lid hinged to the container along a hinge to rotate, with respect to the container, between an open and a closed position opening and closing the open end respectively.
A new type of rigid, hinged-lid packet of cigarettes has recently been proposed comprising a tubular slide which surrounds and slides axially with respect to the outer package. The tubular slide is formed by folding a further rigid blank about the outer package, and comprises a transmission member having a first end integral with the lid, a second end integral with the slide, and a deformable intermediate portion with a U-shaped fold between the outer package and the slide.
Manufacturing this new type of packet calls for feeding and folding two separate rigid blanks successively about the inner package, and so involves major complications to adapt a standard packing machine. In this connection, it is important to bear in mind the numerous structural and dimensional constraints in an existing packing machine, and the necessity to allow adequate access to all the component parts of the machine for cleaning and maintenance purposes.
US4267926A1 discloses a box having inner and outer components made from individual cut blanks; the inner component includes an integral tongue member arranged to form a loop which functions to actuate a folding lid. For production, the two blanks are first punched out and the tongue is punched out at the same time and a flexible area of the tongue is achieved by scoring or indenting; next the inner box with the flexible area is folded and filed and then the outer box is folded around the closed, filler inner box, after the area of adhesion has first been covered with glue.